Roasts: A job somebody has to do

As he stood on the stage of the Beverly Hills Country Club one night in 1995, Jeff Ross had no way of knowing that he was in the middle of a career-altering moment.

Ross was cracking wise during a show at the famous club, whose membership consisted of some of the most famous and powerful people in the entertainment business. His shtick caught the ear of the legendary Milton Berle, who — even though his best comedy years were mostly behind him — was still very tuned in to the funny business.

Not long after, Berle was preparing to be the roastmaster of the Friars Club’s annual celebrity skewering. The star in the hot seat was actor Steven Seagal, whose latest movie, “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory,” had just been released.

But it was the Friars roasts — a club tradition dating back to 1950 — that had come under siege. In 1993, actor Ted Danson stunned the audience when he took the dais in black face to serve as roastmaster for his then-girlfriend, Whoopi Goldberg.

“They were having trouble getting young comedians to participate in the roasts. In fact, they couldn’t get any comedians after (Danson) had come out in black face,” Ross said during a recent chat from his California home.

Then Berle remembered that Ross had made him laugh at the country club gig a few weeks earlier.

“Next thing I know, the Friars Club invited me to be one of the roasters,” he said.

Ross — who currently hosts a 30-minute roast-like show called “The Burn” on Comedy Central — was already an experienced stand-up comedian, but he didn’t have much expertise in roasting people. So, realizing he’d be performing in front of an audience that would be a who’s who of show business, he immediately became a serious student about the delicate art of roasting a fellow human being.

“I went to the museum of broadcasting and I looked up ‘how to do a roast,’ because this was pre-YouTube,” Ross remembered. “Next thing I knew, I’m wearing my one nice suit, looking out at the New York Hilton (ballroom) in front of 1,500 (people), and I said, ‘A lot of you people don’t know me, but I feel uniquely qualified to be here today because I’m also a crappy actor.’ OK, maybe that wasn’t exactly the word I used, but Steven Seagal got it and laughed. Milton Berle immediately started heckling me, because he saw I was doing well. The next thing I knew, I was a roaster.”

The Seagal roast also sparked a May-December friendship between Berle, who was 87, and Ross, who was just 30. For all of Berle’s idiosyncrasies — like the nervous tick he got when he heard other comedians getting laughs, or his habit of literally trying to take over any show he was part of — he was a huge influence on Ross.

“He was quite a talent. He was quite a character. I miss that guy,” Ross said of the man known to millions as “Uncle Miltie,” who died in 2002. “I wound up doing about a thousand lunches with him over the years, and he was a friend and a real mentor.”

Although roasts appear to be easy gigs to the casual viewer, they’re anything but, Ross said. Comedians like to recycle their material in a conventional stand-up setting. But roasts are very personal; each subject is different, so what works for one target might not be appropriate for the next.

Some comedians deliberately avoid performing at roasts. For Ross, it’s become his comedic calling card.

“You have to write for each one, and it’s a lot of work,” said the New Jersey native, who’s now the Friars Club’s designated “roastmaster general.”

“And that’s the name of the game. These roasts are all about writing and word craft,” he added. “That’s the challenge. People always ask who my favorite roast was, and I always say it’s whoever’s next, because the preparation is so much fun.”

Ross, who returns to Borgata’s Music Box tonight with his stand-up act, which includes some “speed roasting” of audience members brave enough to step on stage with him, said one of his best roasts took place in Atlantic City — and it was a complete surprise to the audience.

In 2011, embattled actor Charlie Sheen brought his “Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option” tour to Trump Taj Mahal. The show, in which Sheen tried to get audiences to believe that he was “winning” in his fight with CBS, had bombed during its first several stops.

Ross was enlisted to help bail Sheen out if he got into trouble in Atlantic City, which he did about 30 minutes into his “show.” A man in the audience shouted that he wanted his money back, and others took up the cry.

Ross decided it was time to intervene. He stepped from the wings wearing a hazmat suit “to clean up (Sheen’s) toxic mess” and spent the rest of the show roasting the actor.

“I think people in Atlantic City remember that along with Hurricane Sandy and those sorts of disasters,” Ross said with a laugh. “I remember saying ‘Charlie, if you’re winning, then something’s wrong with the scoreboard.’ ”

Around town

■ The Sing-Off Tour Live — an extension of the NBC competition series — is presented at the Golden Nugget tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $46.77 and $74.94, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.

■ Legendary blues guitarist and singer Johnny Winter headlines in The Social at Revel tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $46.75 and $66.75, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.

■ TheTexas Tenors — a classical crossover trio — performs at the Golden Nugget tonight and tomorrow at 9 p.m. Tickets are $69.75, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.

■ Dweezil Zappa channels the music of his late and legendary dad, Frank Zappa, in a show titled “Zappa Plays Zappa” at the House of Blues at Showboat tomorrow at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36 and $56.50, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.

■ Elvis Costello & The Imposters bring their show to Caesars Atlantic City tomorrow at 9 p.m. Tickets range from $73.50 to $117, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.

■ The Golden Boys — Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell — return to Atlantic City for a one-night stand at the Golden Nugget tomorrow at 9 p.m. Tickets are $46.77 and $82.37, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.

IF YOU GO

■ Jeff Ross performs in Borgata’s Music Box tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $24.50, available through theborgata.com or ComcastTIX at (877) 544-8499.